Haunted by his time in Iraq, former soldier Schwartz Patton goes off the grid, retreating deep into Montana’s untamed wilderness. Now, ten years into his self-imposed solitude, his brother tracks him down and asks for a favor. A woman is in danger, and she needs help...and Schwartz is the only one who can protect her.
Designer-loving city girls like Janelle Keebler don't belong in the wilderness. Unless, of course, they're witnesses to a murder by their psycho drug-trafficking ex-husbands. Still, Janelle can't help the immediate physical response she has to her sexy-as-sin protector that leaves her wanting more than she could have ever imagined. Even if he does make terrible coffee...
Every word, every touch, every kiss ignites a need Schwartz thought he’d lost forever. He can't stop the desperate attraction simmering between him and Janelle, even if he wanted to. Even if it means it could get them both killed.

Protector for Hire is the broody Schwartz Patton’s tale, and despite the last book in this series leaving a god-awful taste in my mouth, my soft spot for grumpy hermits surfaced as soon as I knew Schwartz was going to take centre stage. The woman in question is a divorcee with a psychopathic ex-husband – who also happens to be a drug lord – on the prowl for her, and the only way to keep her safe is off the grid…and with Schwartz, who has been living in the wilds of Montana for the past decade.

Protector for Hire has a levity that is unexpected, though it tended to gloss over PTSD too lightly. I did find myself sardonically smirking at Janelle’s antics, which were admittedly juvenile rather than sparkling or witty at times, because if all that was needed to bring Schwartz out of his black hole, why the hell hadn’t his family figured that one out? There were cliches rehashed, off-the-charts-sex (anything else would be a travesty, wouldn’t it?) and of course, the customary TSTL action at the end when Janelle runs off which made the story drop whole stars in my eyes. Schwartz panics, quickly makes good with his family, proclaims his love, rescues the damsel in distress – and because it’s suddenly all too easy, their happily ever after left me dissatisfied.

Anna Keebler makes a living being unconventional. A wedding planner who specializes in more…unusual ceremonies, Anna's client list includes everything from nudists to paintballers to Little Red Riding Hood enthusiasts. So when her photographer up and quits during a wedding blitz in Hawaii, Anna makes an unconventional decision. She hires a hot Marine to be her new photographer.
Little does she know, Grant Patton is the best man in one of her weddings. He's so perfect he's practically a Boy Scout—if Boy Scouts were big, ripped Marines with gorgeous gray eyes, and good at, oh, everything. Especially sex. In fact, his only flaw seems to be that he hates marriage as much as she does. But Anna suspects the sexy Boy Scout routine is a cover, and if he wants this thing between them to be about more than sex, Grant must reveal the dark past he's fought so hard to hide…

I have a hard time placing the hero in this book – the perfect veneer is of course, too good to be true, but the moment his secret was revealed, I had an even harder time accepting that sort of weakness. For a man of his (apparent) calibre. As dubiously honourable as we want our heroes to be, even some lines shouldn’t be crossed.

The lack of stars is not because the book doesn’t shine in every other aspect; I laughed, I found it wacky and quirky but simply struggled a lot with a main character here.